Affinity Logic, a focused local IT solutions provider, working across the retail and consumer goods industries, has recently been certified as a SAP application hosting partner in SA. This formalises the company`s long-standing customer relationship with SAP into an official partnership agreement.
Affinity Logic`s core focus is on IT service provision in the consumer packaged goods/retail value chain.
"Apart from an excellent relationship with SAP, Affinity Logic is distinctive in terms of this agreement, in that we use predominantly HP hardware to which we prefer to migrate clients, and are furthermore focused on the retail market. Other SAP Hosting partners rather just take over clients` hardware in a more traditional outsourcing model. We believe our model gives better value to clients, as we are able to leverage greater synergy and scale," says Rob Monteith, Director at Affinity Logic`s Johannesburg head office.
Monteith continues: "SAP Hosting Partners, such as Affinity Logic, provide SAP solutions via a hosted services platform, offering the lowest cost-of-ownership to their end-users. In order to achieve this goal, and evolve optimal hosting solutions for customers, cooperation with partners is a key mutual success factor for both SAP and its hosting partners."
Affinity Logic uses an approach which it developed in 2001, and which includes a consistent computing platform to provide a highly affordable outsourced IT service to its retail core target market.
"In the SAP space, particularly, there are many disparate technologies which have to be integrated and work together," comments Monteith.
"Using our approach - which moves customer data onto our own architecture, thereby effectively leveraging economies of scale and other synergies - we are able to very quickly deliver the capacity required, migrating SAP customers to the latest technology, and saving them money in the process," he adds.
"The next step, of becoming a formal hosting partner, was really a logical progression of the relationship," he maintains.
Monteith points out that customers benefit from this co-operation by being able to get turnkey solutions and services.
"They can achieve lowest cost of operation and implementation, while simultaneously profiting from standardised service packages. As a hosting partner, we benefit from new business opportunities and a 'best-of-breed` hosting platform," he explains.
Patricia Martins, Technology Alliance Manager at SAP Africa, agrees: "The Internet is redefining the world of business. These days, customers are at the helm, demanding the best service, lowest prices, and shortest time-to-benefit. Success in this new world is attained by collaborating in multi-enterprise networks that deliver maximum value to each party in a community.
"Furthermore, e-business, characterised by cooperation in a world of start-ups, requires highly specialised resources with new skills and new business models as well as strong alliances and fresh partnership strategies.
"SAP Africa has successfully developed its partner ecosystem by ensuring customer satisfaction and creating business opportunities for its partners. As a hosting partner, Affinity Logic is a good example of just such a scenario; its fresh, innovative approach to IT service provision, not only matches, but leverages off similar strengths at SAP," she concludes.
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